Abstract

Racism is an insidious problem with far-reaching effects on the lives of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). The pervasive negative impact of racism on mental health is well documented. However, less is known about the potential downstream impacts of maternal experiences of racism on offspring neurodevelopment. This study sought to examine evidence for a biological pathway of intergenerational transmission of racism-related trauma. This study examined the effects of self-reported maternal experiences of racism on resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) in n = 25 neonates (13 female, 12 male) birthed by BIPOC mothers. Amygdala and hippocampus are brain regions involved in fear, memory, and anxiety, and are central nodes in brain networks associated with trauma-related change. We used average scores on the Experiences of Racism Scale as a continuous, voxel-wise regressor in seed-based, whole-brain connectivity analysis of anatomically defined amygdala and hippocampus seed regions of interest. All analyses controlled for infant sex and gestational age at the 2-week scanning session. More maternal racism-related experiences were associated with (1) stronger right amygdala rsFC with visual cortex and thalamus; and (2) stronger hippocampus rsFC with visual cortex and a temporo-parietal network, in neonates. The results of this research have implications for understanding how maternal experiences of racism may alter neurodevelopment, and for related social policy.

Details

Title
Intergenerational effects of racism on amygdala and hippocampus resting state functional connectivity
Author
Kral, T. R. A. 1 ; Williams, C. Y. 2 ; Wylie, A. C. 3 ; McLaughlin, K. 3 ; Stephens, R. L. 4 ; Mills-Koonce, W. R. 5 ; Birn, R. M. 6 ; Propper, C. B. 7 ; Short, S. J. 8 

 University of Wisconsin –Madison, Center for Healthy Minds, Madison, USA (GRID:grid.14003.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 3675); University of Wisconsin –Madison, Department of Psychiatry, Madison, USA (GRID:grid.14003.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 3675) 
 University of Wisconsin –Madison, Center for Healthy Minds, Madison, USA (GRID:grid.14003.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 3675); University of Wisconsin –Madison, Department of Counseling Psychology, Madison, USA (GRID:grid.14003.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 3675) 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2248 3208); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2248 3208) 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Department of Psychiatry, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2248 3208) 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Education, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2248 3208) 
 University of Wisconsin –Madison, Department of Psychiatry, Madison, USA (GRID:grid.14003.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 3675) 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Nursing, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2248 3208) 
 University of Wisconsin –Madison, Center for Healthy Minds, Madison, USA (GRID:grid.14003.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 3675); University of Wisconsin –Madison, Department of Educational Psychology, Madison, USA (GRID:grid.14003.36) (ISNI:0000 0001 2167 3675) 
Pages
17034
Publication year
2024
Publication date
2024
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3083766099
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2024. corrected publication 2024. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.